Like many California wine enthusiasts, Brian Mast and Jennifer Waits planned many a vacation around tasting room visits across the globe. They were regulars at wine festivals up and down the CA coast and voracious readers of wine literature. Unlike many other wine enthusiasts, the couple decided that they would get even more involved.

Enter Crushpad, an urban wine making facility right in San Francisco. Jennifer and Brian seized the opportunity to make wine “without quitting [their] day jobs” and thus the Waits-Mast label was born. The duo sources Pinot Noir grapes from some of the top vineyards in the Santa Rita Hills and the Anderson Valley. In addition to the wine, they have pursued a passion for the written word in curating the first Waits-Mast poetry collection, featuring 8 Northern California poets.

Our favorite of the current release is the 2007 Wentzel Vineyard from the Anderson Valley. This Pinot has a rich dark-cherry nose and is full of bold dark-berry fruit and a touch of spice on the finish. Only 25 cases were produced and can be purchased directly from around the country for $42/bottle; you can even save on shipping and pick it up yourself in San Francisco.